news

Congressman Paul Tonko announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded New York State $7,686,528 to repair roads damaged by Hurricane Irene, and $2,562,176 to fix damage caused by Tropical Storm Lee. The funding comes from the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program.

The funding was requested by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as part of the state’s disaster declaration, and will be used for emergency repairs to fix damage and restore traffic flow, as well as permanent repairs necessary to restore highways to their pre-disaster condition.

“I want to thank the U.S. Department of Transportation for working to get these funds to New York to help fund repairs necessary to restore our highways,” said Congressman Tonko. “This is another positive step as work continues to get our communities back on their feet following the severe late summer weather.”

On August 26, 2011, Hurricane Irene caused damage to roads and bridges in 31 counties in New York State, and Tropical Storm Lee followed 11 days later. The affected counties in the 21^st Congressional District are: Albany, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, and Schoharie. 

The USDOT’s Emergency Relief Program provides funding for reconstruction of federal-aid highways which suffer serious damage as a result of natural disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause. This funding was made available in the appropriations bill that passed Congress less than two weeks ago. Congressman Tonko voted in favor of that bill.

# # #